Torres strike gets Cerro Porteno off the mark
A resolute Cerro Porteno claimed a vital home win over Junior de Barranquilla despite being severely hampered by injuries, with a single moment of quality from Jonathan Torres proving enough to decide the contest.
Cerro arrived at the match carrying a long list of absentees, effectively fielding a makeshift line-up across several positions.
The first half was tightly contested, with Junior looking the more purposeful side in attack.
Teofilo Gutierrez spurned the clearest opportunity of the opening period, failing to convert from close range after a well-worked counter-attack.
The hosts took the lead early in the second half when Jonathan Torres fired home on 47 minutes after Gutierrez carelessly surrendered possession in midfield.
Junior struggled to respond with any real conviction, and Bryan Castrillon spurned a glaring one-on-one opportunity, shooting straight at the goalkeeper, to seal a damaging defeat for the Colombian side.
Junior, which drew its opener with Palmeiras, now sits bottom of Group F, while Cerro Porteno moves to second place with three points.
